2014 AUDI A8 light

-the weight registered on the front passen­
ger seat is equa l to or less than the com­
bined weight of a typical 1 year -old restrain­
ed in one of the rear-fac ing or forward­
facing infant restraints listed in Federal Mo­
tor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on . Nev­
er insta ll a rearward-facing child restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at one
of the seating positions on the rear seat
¢ page 155, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 177, Child Safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on cont inuously whenever the
ignit ion is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- react ivate the system by switching the igni­
t ion off and then switch ing it on again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
routed through the child rest raint as descri­
bed in the child restrai nt manufactu rer's i n­
str ucti ons;
- make sure that the conver tible locking fea­
ture on the safety belt for the front passen­
ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt
must not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the seat can do its job
¢ page 187.
- make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the chi ld and child seat are not be­
ing transported on the front passenger seat;
Airbag system 165
-make sure that the safety belt tension sen ­
sor is not blocked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenger seatback and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the
child seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so t ight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measure more
weight than is actually on the seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con­
ti nu ously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen -
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer immed iately.
- move the ch ild to a rear seat position and
make sure that the child is properly restra in­
ed in a ch ild restra int that is appropriate for
its size and age .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when t he ignition is on and an
adult is sitting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes fo r about 5 seconds wh ile d riving, un­
der these circumstances , make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenge r seat is
prope rly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up against the
backrest and the backrest is not re clin ed
¢ page 136, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support­
ing their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being properly worn and
that there is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat, ..,.
•
•

166 Airbag sys te m
- a safety be lt extender has not been left in
the safety be lt latch for the front passenger
seat .
I n addi tion to the
P A SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel ,
the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will briefly appear
in the instrument cluster display . Th is is to in­
form the driver of the current front passenger
a irbag status .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tect ion in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light
c:> page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have t he system inspected immediate ly
by you r authorized Aud i dea le r.
It is pos­
s ible that the a irbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
w hen it sho uld.
A WARNING
If the front air bag infla tes, a c hild wi tho ut
a chil d restra int, or in a rearward-fac ing
child safety seat, or in a forward-facing
child rest raint that has not been prope rly
installed will be serious ly injured and can
be killed.
- Even though your ve hicle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that all children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restra ined fo r the ir
age and size .
- Always insta ll forward or rea r-facing
child seats on the rea r seat -even w ith
an Advanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearward-fac ing
child seat on the front passenge r seat
because of except io na l circumstances
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t
does not appe ar and stay on, imme diate- ly insta
ll the rear-facing child seat in a
rear seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer.
- A t ight tether or other strap on a rear­
ward-facing child restraint attached to
the front passenger seat can put too
much p ressu re on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and reg iste r mor e we ight
than is actually on the seat. The heavie r
weight regis tered can make the sys tem
wo rk as though an adult we re on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
m ust be suppressed causing serious or
even fata l injury to t he chi ld .
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you
m ust install a forward-facing c hild re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al ­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­ sition in the seat's fore and aft ad just­
ment range, as far away from the a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest mus t be ad just­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make su re that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and st ays o n all the time when ­
eve r the ignit ion is swit ched on .
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go o ut when an a dult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, make sure the
adu lt is properly seated and restra ined at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dealer before transporting
a nyo ne on the front passenger seat .
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenger side will be
turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Pa rts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Aud i. Insta lling, ..,.

168 Airbag system
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, al l applicable laws and regula·
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dea ler is familiar with these require·
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service for you .
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the vehicle, chang ing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the spring s, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit . Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas ­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should.
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe ­
ty belt is not being used . Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used . It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per-formance and increase the risk of serious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance
characteristics as the components origi­ nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
--
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from working properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter­
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed .
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system con provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 169 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢ fig . 169, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lowe r th igh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts. ..,.

If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy in fronta l collisions when the de ­
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is met
c:> page 162, More important things to
know about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety be lts he lp keep the driver or front pas ­
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a subst itute for yo ur
safety be lt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your veh icle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. Th is
i s why you shou ld always wear you r safety
be lt, not just because the law requires you to
do so¢
page 145, General notes.
The safety be lt buck le for the dr iver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the a ir­
bag con trol mod ule if the safety belt is be ing
used or not . If the safety belt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly higher rate of deceleration than if the belt is not be­
ing used. Therefore, in a particu lar collision, it
is poss ible that an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the position where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protec ­
tion in those acc idents in which a irbags a re
not supposed to deploy or when they have a l­
ready deployed, fo r example when your veh i­
cle strikes or is str uck by another after the
first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system wo rks most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety be lts correctly.
It is impo rtan t to remember that while the
supp lemental knee a irbag sys tem is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
A irbag system 169
other injur ies, for example, swelling, bru ising
and minor abrasions and friction b urns can al­
so occur when an airbag inflates .
The knee airbag system basic ally consist s
of:
-The e lectronic control module
- Two inflatable a irbags (airbag and gas gen-
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument pane l
The knee airbag s ystem will not depl oy:
- when the ignit ion is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn -
ing/indicator light is on) ¢
page 18.
A WARNING
--Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢page 162.
-If the airbag ind icator light ¢ page 18
comes when the ve hicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authori zed Audi dealer.
It is pos­
sible tha t the airbag will infla te when it
is not supposed to, or will not infla te
when it should.
-
•
•

of the passenger seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the air­ bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air­
bags are located.
- If children are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
¢ page 177, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
---
Fig. 171 Side airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
¢fig. 171 and the rear
backrest facing the doors. They are identified
bytheword "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- two rear side airbags
Airbag system 1 71
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times. Each time you switch on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's, front and rear passenger's
upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side collision. The airbag deploys
only in side impacts and only when the vehicle
acceleration registered by the control unit is
high enough.
If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­
sult of the collision.
It is not possible to de­
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors include, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc. ¢
page 173, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide
protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do so¢
page 145, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
IIJ>,

17 2 Airbag system
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags . Remember too,
side airbags will deploy on ly once and on ly in
certain k inds of accidents -your safety belts
are always there to offer protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage are not necessar ily an indi­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
tion . In some co llisions, both front and side
a irbags may inflate . Remember too, that air ­
bags will deploy only once and only in certa in
kinds of co llisions -your safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protec tion in those acci­
dents in wh ich airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed.
The side airbag s yst em will not depl oy :
- when the ign ition is switched off
- in s ide collisions when the accelerat ion
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in ro llovers.
I n some types of acc idents the front airbags,
side curta in a irbags and side airbags may be
triggered together.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and t he airbag system will
only provide protection when occ upants
are in the proper seating posit ion
¢ page 173.
- If the airbag indicator light ¢ page 18
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by your aut ho rized Aud i dealer.
It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld. -How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
F ig . 1 72 Inflated s ide a irbags on left s ide of veh icle,
r ea r side a irbag
When the system is triggered, the a irbag is
filled with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG".
It expands between the side tr im panel
and the passenger. In orde r to help provide
t hi s addit io nal pro tect ion, the s ide airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very h igh speed and with great force. The sup ­
plementa l side airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos ition is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
plemental side airbag expands. This applies
especially to ch ildren
q page 177, Child Safe­
ty .
Supplemental side airbags inflate betwee n
t h e occ upant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is str uck in certa in side col ­
li sion ¢
fig. 172 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion " the impact and in this way t hey can
help to reduce the risk of inju ry to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may deve lop when the airbag de­
ploys. This is normal a nd does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.

Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used .
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
-Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supplemental
side airbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replace ­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­ bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
Airbag system 173
- Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates.
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cup holders, tel­
ephone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests .
- Such objects and accessories can be­ come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental side air­
bag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other passengers to travel in this position .
- Always use the built -in coat hooks only
for lightweight clothing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer .
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident ~
page 177, Child Safety.
-Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­ rectly measure increasing air pressure in-
side the doors when air escapes through .,.. •
•

-The airbag indicator light in the instrument
pane l
The airbag system is moni to red ele ct ro ni ca lly
t o make certain it is fu nct ion ing properly a t all
times. Each time you switch on the ignition,
the airbag system indicator light wi ll come on
for a few seconds (se lf d iagnost ics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is switched off,
- i n s ide collisions wh en the acceleration
measu red by the sensor is too low,
- i n rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
-
- Safety belts and the a irbag system will
only p rov ide p rotection when occ upants
are in t he p roper seat ing posit io n
c::> page 58, General recommendations.
- If the airbag indicato r light c::> page 18
comes whe n the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
by you r auth o rized Audi dea le r. I t is pos ­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly res trained.
Fi g. 174 Ill ust rat ion of prin cipl e: In flat ed side cu rtain
airbags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
"' N ;g
±
"" ID
Airba g system 175
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
c::> fig. 174 .
When the system is t riggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
w indows identified by the AIRBAG labe l. In or­
der to he lp provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. The side curtain a irbag could in ­
jure you if your seating pos it io n is not prope r
or upright or if items are located in the area
whe re the supplemen tal side curta in a irbag
infl ates. This applies espe cially to ch ildren
c::> page 177 .
Although they are not a soft p illow, side cur­
ta in ai rbags can "cushion" the impact and in
th is way they can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the head a nd the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may deve lop when the ai rbag de­
ploys . Th is is qui te no rma l and does not mean
t h ere is a fire in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to he lp the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection .
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
p roper seating positions increase the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death when­
eve r a vehicle is being used .
- Never let occupants place any parts of thei r bod ies in the area from which the
side curta in a irbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the s ide curtain
airbags can inflate without interference.
-
Unsuitable accessor ies fitted inside the ..,